Berlin Water Tank Going Wireless

A wireless device will replace a landline alarm system that is supposed to inform officials of the water level in the 2-million gallon Lamentation Water Tank. The telephone reporting system in place now is having connection problems, so the water control staff is not getting up-to-date information on water storage.

As a result, the staff has had to send someone to inspect the tank to determine if more water needs to be pumped in from wells or the supply lines from the New Britain water department, district manager Ray Jarema said Wednesday.

"We can never really gauge what the water level is," he said, a result of the remote alarm system not properly communicating tank levels through the town's dispatch center due to "noise" in the telephone line used for monitoring the tank.

On Tuesday night, the town council approved spending $23,496 to install a more dependable remote monitoring system. The data will be sent via wireless signal to the water department field office at 49 Town Farm Lane.

In a note to the council, Town Manager Denise McNair said maintaining proper tank levels is crucial to ensure adequate water pressure for users and for fire suppression. The council on Tuesday approved the hiring of Knapp Engineering PC, of Prospect, to do the upgrade.

Jarema said Wednesday the signal problem was detected last year when the massive tank was being painted. Water levels in the tank had to be lowered to reduce humidity so exterior painting could be done. It became clear then that the landline alarm system was not working consistently.

"It's kind of critical for us to know the water level," he said. Changes in the level could indicate a leak or other supply problem that requires investigation and repair.